Sabtu, 2 Mac 2013

LAHAD DATU BACKFIRES: Najib is shaking, has he lost Sabah - Anwar

Fighting for his political survival, embattled Malaysian Prime
Minister Najib Razak has unleashed a range of scenarios and media spin
in an apparent bid to damage control the storm of negative publicity his
alleged mishandling of an armed group of Filipino intruders on
Malaysian soil had triggered.
But critics say Najib's 'over-usage' of the tools frequently employed
by his strategists, including rounding groups linked to his Umno party
to speak up for him while pouring the blame on arch rival Anwar Ibrahim,
may result in his efforts failing to gain traction.
"Tanya sama Najib apa sebab goyang. Nanti jawab Najib Sabah akan hilang(Ask why is Najib shaking and Najib might answer it is because he has lost Sabah),"
Anwar, the leader of the Malaysian Opposition, had said to the delight
of a huge crowd in Ledang, Johor on Friday night, where he was doing a
road-tour in preparation for the coming general election.
The 64-year-old Anwar, whom many Malaysians see as becoming the next prime minister, later told reporters following his Jelajah Merdeka Rakyat (Free the People)
bus tour that the Lahad Datu incident was a serious security breach and
that it would take time for the dust to settle on the shooting that has
claimed 14 lives so far.
"At this stage, we want to extend our condolences to the families of
those who died in the shootout. The matter is still ongoing and the
implications are very serious, so we do not wish to politicize or comment further at this stage," said Anwar.Security breach: What happened to the Scorpenes?
He had earlier issued a statement lambasting Najib's pussyfooting
over the matter, which the Opposition suspects was hatched to hide
ulterior motives aimed to help the ruling Umno-BN coalition retain
political power in Sabah state."Why was our national borders so easily
infiltrated by a band of armed foreigners, and pertinently why was the
federal government so compromising in resolving the situation from the
start?" said Anwar. "National security cannot be taken lightly nor
seen as low-priority. The people need to be informed fully about what
actually happened in Lahad Datu for the last three weeks, including
today’s exchanges." Najib's classic cowards' ployAmid growing accusations that he had deliberately
been too soft on the group of more than 100 intruders holed up in a
village in Lahad Datu, Najib wielded the stick on Saturday, warning that
there would be no more negotiations.
“The government is taking the stand, the time to consider the group’s
request is over. We are firm in this matter because what they had done
was a serious criminal act... they trespassed and killed police
officers and injured our security forces personnel. They have only two
choices, give up or receive action from our security forces,” said
Najib.
The Malaysian PM then accused the intruders of a classic cowards' ploy.
“According to the report I received and which was confirmed by the
VAT69 Commando force, they were entrapped by thus group. Some had
raised a white flag as a sign of surrender but another group had shot at
them. This was this group’s trap, they carried out that tactic, that
coward’s tactic,” Najib said.However, critics discredited Najib's explanation
as being too "slicked". They also pointed out that it was more cowardly
to accuse those had already died of a crime when they could no longer
defend themselves.Sweeping the breach under the carpet?They also slammed him for sweeping under the
carpet the reasons why his government had failed to stop the armed
Filipinos, who claim to be members from the Sulu Sultan's army, from
being able to land on Lahad Datu. The Filipinos had arrived in simple boats,
breaching Malaysia's security lines although the navy had at the ready
two Scorpene submarines which Najib had controversially acquired for the
Malaysian government some years ago amid accusations of high-level
corruption and kickbacks.
14 men, including 2 Malaysian cops, were killed and three wounded
after Malaysian police exchanged gunfire with the intruders on Friday
morning. They had refused to leave peacefully, snubbing a February 22
deadline given by the Malaysian government.
The BN-controlled Star news portal also reported that a curfew has been in place at Lahad Datu town and its surrounding areas since 4pm.Conflicting accounts & conspiracy theoriesConflicting accounts of how the violence flared up
has added to the confusion, with Najib and his cousin, Home Minister
Hishammuddin Hussein, slammed for not showing greater leadership and
shrouding the raid on the intruder's camp with a veil of mystery.Amid accusations their lack of coordination had
resulted in unnecessary bloodshed and overly high fatalities, Najib and
his Umno party have rushed to appease rumblings, especially within the
police force over the deaths of the 2 cops killed by a mortar bomb
explosion.
Mainstream media reports have also tried to linked the intrusion with Anwar, citing alleged Philippine media reports. Citing the blog MPP Online quoting Philippine media Inquirer News, Umno-owned daily Utusan reported that:“A Philippine news portal Inquirer News has exposed that a top
opposition leader in Sabah who is close to (opposition leader) Anwar had
met with the insurgents offering his support for the group presently
in Sabah.“Inquirer News citing Philippine intelligence sources was
reported saying the meeting took place last November, causing the Sulu
sultan Jamalul Kiram III to order his followers to infiltrate Kampung
Tanduo to stage the Sabah claim from within Malaysia.”
National news agency Bernama too jumped on the bandwagon citing an unnamed report that quoted a Philippine army personnel, “who
is a loyal follower of Sulu raja muda Azzimudie Kiram, as saying the
group has come at the invitation of a ‘Malaysian opposition’ to discuss
land issues in Sabah”.All eyes on Umno: Worse is yet to come?

The responses from Najib and his Umno party are being monitored
closed by seasoned political watchers, who fear the worst was yet to
come.
They pointed to the warning from a Moro National Liberation Front
(MNLF) leader that the Lahad Datu gunfight could spark off a civil war
in Sabah, while the Sultanate of Sulu said its group of fighters, which
had set foot here about three weeks ago, will continue their fight.
"We find the situation very worrisome. There is no doubt Umno is very
afraid of losing Sabah to the Opposition in the coming general
election. We see them using scare tactics to stop the people from
supporting the Opposition and Lahad Datu is now a powder keg because of
their manipulations," Tian Chua, a PKR vice president and an Opposition
Member of Parliament, told Malaysia Chronicle.
"We hope the Sabah people will not take the bait and keep their eyes
and ears open to what is really happening in Sabah, the undercurrents
that the Sabah Umno leaders in particular are trying to achieve with the
Lahad Datu intrusion."Malaysia Chronicle